J.K. Rowlings Feud With Emma Watson & Daniel Radcliffe Explained

J.K Rowling has been in a feud with the cast of Harry Potter for years — specifically its stars Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe — over the author’s comments about the transgender community.Recently, Rowling shared a lengthy response to Watson’s September 2025 Jay Shetty podcast interview, in which she was asked about her distant relationship with the wizarding world mastermind.

“Emma Watson and her co-stars have every right to embrace gender identity ideology.Such beliefs are legally protected, and I wouldn’t want to see any of them threatened with loss of work, or violence, or death, because of them,” Rowling tweeted.

“However, Emma and Dan in particular have both made it clear over the last few years that they think our former professional association gives them a particular right – nay, obligation – to critique me and my views in public.Years after they finished acting in Potter, they continue to assume the role of de facto spokespeople for the world I created.” So, how did this icy feud start between Rowling, Radcliffe and Watson? Hollywood Life breaks it all down below.

Why Is J.K.Rowling in a Feud With Emma Watson & Daniel Radcliffe? Rowling’s feud with Watson and Radcliffe stems from her position on the transgender commuting.

The writer believes that any person who was a man at birth should not be allowed into women’s restrooms or changing rooms because they identify as a woman.Many accused her of being transphobic, which she denied.

The Harry Potter author clarified in a 2020 essay that she “want[s] trans women to be safe,” but “at the same time, [she does] not want to make natal girls and women less safe.” Elsewhere in the essay, Rowling wrote, “I believe the majority of trans-identified people not only pose zero threat to others, but are vulnerable for all the reasons I’ve outlined.” Radcliffe and Watson quickly spoke out against Rowling’s perception.In a statement with the Trevor P...